Chi PhatAbout Chi Phat
Chi Phat is a riverside village on the Preaek Piphot River in the foothills of the Southern Cardamoms, about 20 km upstream from Andong Tuek on National Road 48. For years many of its families lived from logging, hunting and slash-and-burn clearing, and the forest around the village was stripped of much of its timber and wildlife.
In the late 2000s, with the help of a conservation group, the village set up one of Cambodia’s first community-based ecotourism projects. Former hunters and loggers retrained as guides, boat drivers and cooks, households opened their homes to guests, and tourism income is shared through the community in return for protecting the surrounding forest, now part of the Southern Cardamom National Park landscape.
Visitors stay in village homestays or simple guesthouses and eat home-cooked Khmer meals. Days are spent on guided treks into the forest, from a few hours to several days with nights camping in the hills, on mountain-bike trails that follow old logging tracks, or on the river at dawn looking for birds. It is a slow, rural stay rather than a sightseeing stop, and the community-run trips are the main reason to come.
Weather & Climate near Chi Phat
Chi Phat's climate is classified as Tropical Monsoon - Tropical Monsoon climate with consistently warm temperatures year-round. Temperatures range from 21°C to 34°C. Heavy rainfall (2883 mm/year), wettest in July with a pronounced dry season.
| Month | Comfort | Temp | Feels | Rain | Sky | Humidity | Wind | UV | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Excellent | 21° - 32° | 26° | 9 mm | partly cloudy | 80% | 2.1 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.4h |
| February | Excellent | 23° - 32° | 30° | 26 mm | partly cloudy | 76% | 1.9 m/s | 1.9 very high | 11.7h |
| March | Very Good | 24° - 33° | 33° | 62 mm | partly cloudy | 76% | 2.0 m/s | 2.0 extreme | 12.0h |
| April | Good | 25° - 34° | 36° | 104 mm | overcast | 80% | 1.8 m/s | 2.1 extreme | 12.3h |
| May | Acceptable | 25° - 33° | 36° | 316 mm | overcast | 87% | 1.6 m/s | 2.0 extreme | 12.5h |
| June | Acceptable | 24° - 32° | 34° | 502 mm | overcast | 91% | 2.0 m/s | 1.9 very high | 12.7h |
| July | Acceptable | 24° - 31° | 33° | 572 mm | overcast | 91% | 2.0 m/s | 1.8 very high | 12.6h |
| August | Acceptable | 24° - 31° | 33° | 512 mm | overcast | 92% | 1.9 m/s | 1.8 very high | 12.4h |
| September | Acceptable | 24° - 31° | 33° | 418 mm | overcast | 92% | 1.8 m/s | 1.8 very high | 12.1h |
| October | Acceptable | 24° - 31° | 32° | 255 mm | overcast | 91% | 1.7 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.8h |
| November | Good | 23° - 31° | 31° | 87 mm | partly cloudy | 88% | 2.3 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.5h |
| December | Excellent | 22° - 31° | 27° | 20 mm | partly cloudy | 83% | 2.6 m/s | 1.8 very high | 11.3h |
How to Get to Chi Phat
Chi Phat is reached from Andong Tuek, a village on National Road 48 between Koh Kong town and the junction with National Road 4 toward Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. From Andong Tuek it is a scenic boat trip up the river or a shorter ride by motorbike on a dirt road. Book a stay with the community in advance and it can arrange the transfer.